Science Journal of Environmental Engineering Research
ISSN: 2276-7495
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© Author(s) 2014. CC Attribution 3.0 License.
Research Article
Volume 2014, Article ID sjeer-177, 4 Pages, 2014. doi:10.7237/sjeer/177
Volume 2014 (2014)
Variation of Phytoplankton at Kenyir Lake, Tembat River and Terengganu Mati River
Liana Abd Latif , Shahril Mod Husin and Ahmad Abas Kutty
ENVIRONMENT UNIT, TNB RESEARCH SDN BHD. MALAYSIA
Accepted 25th March, 2014
ABSTRACT
A survey of phytoplankton variation was undertaken at three
different locations in Kenyir Lake, Tembat River and
Terengganu Mati River on 28thJune 2013. Three replicate
samples were taken at each sampling location for laboratory
analyses. The aims of the study are to identify the species
existed at the study area and to identify the species variation
between lake and river. From the survey, it was found that
Kenyir Lake recorded the highest abundance of phytoplankton
with a total of six divisions. This is followed by Terengganu
Mati River with a total of five divisons and Tembat River with
only three divisions. Kenyir Lake and Terengganu Mati River
recorded water quality Class I, meanwhile Tembat Lake
recorded water quality Class II. Phytoplankton is much denser
in lake (lentic) compared to river (lotic) and there is more
abundance in good water quality condition.
KEYWORDS: Phytoplankton, variation, river, lake, water
quality
INTRODUCTION
Kenyir Lake is the largest man-made lake in South – East
Asia with the area of 20, 9199 hectares. It was built as a
dam to supply water and generate hydroelectric energy.
Tembat and Hulu Terengganu Rivers were the main
source of water that contributed to Kenyir Lake. But
there were other 30 rivers and 25 waterfalls that
contribute water to this lake as well. Hulu Terengganu
and Tembat Rivers were clean rivers once upon a time.
But these rivers became polluted since October 2012
when construction activity has been started for
hydroelectric development project which includes
earthworks and land clearing.
Phytoplankton is an element of the ecosystem study that
lives in both salty and fresh watery environments.
Freshwater phytoplankton can be divided into two,
which are lentic and lotic. Lentic is a condition where
there is no, or minimal, water movement such as at a
lake and pool. On the other hand, lotic is a condition
where there is water current such at a river. Water
current encourages phytoplankton in the lotic area to
drift from one place to another.
Phytoplankton comes in many different shapes and the
colour is an important aspect for their classification.
Phytoplankton is the main primary producer in the
majority of aquatic ecosystems, thus constituting the
base of the food chain for zooplankton as well as other
linked communities, such as benthos and nekton
(Reynolds, 1984).
These organisms also are very sensitive to changes in
their environment. Phytoplankton growth depends on
the availability of carbon dioxide, sunlight, and nutrients.
Species variation depends on availability of different
nutrients (Killham, 1950). Other factors that influence
phytoplankton growth rates include water temperature,
salinity, water depth, wind, and kinds of predators
grazing on them.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Three replicates of phytoplankton samples were
collected at Kenyir Lake, Tembat and Terengganu Mati
Rivers. The sampling station was chosen based on the
river physical characteristics. The sampling details were
as described in Table 1.
Table 1: Details of The Sampling Station
Sampling Point
Kenyir Lake
Description
Sample taken at clear and stagnant water (lentic).
Tembat River
Sample taken at riffle and stonny area with high current flow (lotic).
Terengganu Mati River
Sample taken at the area with very minimum current flow (lotic).
Corresponding Author: Liana Abd Latif(Researcher)
ENVIRONMENT UNIT, TNB RESEARCH SDN BHD. MALAYSIA
e-mail: liana@tnbr.com.my
Coordinate
N 578574.6
E 514610.5
N 581885.4
E 509961.6
N 571278.6
E 512578.5
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Phytoplankton samples were collected using plankton
net with a mesh size of 35µm. The net is placed
horizontally at a depth 0.5 -1.0 m below water surface
for 5 minutes. Then, 100ml of phytoplankton sample was
collected by a bucket and transferred to plastic sterilized
sampling bottle. Few drops of formalin were put in the
samples for preservation. At the same time, the
temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), conductivity,
turbidity were recorded using a portable YSI Probe
Meter. Water samples also were taken and brought to
the laboratory for BOD, COD, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate,
ammonia and TSS analysis.
The phytoplankton samples also were brought to
laboratory
for
analyses
and
identification.
Phytoplankton samples were examined under a
microscope model Nikon Eclipse E200 and a camera
model Nikon DS-Fi1 with NIS-Element D 3.2 64-bit
software. The phytoplankton samples were analyzed to
determine the Diversity Index, Evenness Index and
Margalef Index by using softwares MVSP and PAST.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Water Quality
As presented in Table 2, Terengganu Mati River and
Kenyir Lake were classified under water quality Class I.
Meanwhile Tembat River was classified under water
quality Class II. This showed that Terengganu Mati River
and Kenyir Lake had better water quality than Tembat
River. Highest temperature recorded was 28.42ºC at
Terengganu Mati River. The lowest temperature
recorded was 24.24 ºC at Tembat River. The optimum
temperature for algal growth in aquatic ecosystem is
between 25 – 40 ºC (Smith, 1950).
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Temperature plays the main role in influencing
phytoplankton density (Unni and Pawar, 2000).
Temperature also plays important role in controlling the
physiology changes and growth of phytoplankton
(Moisan et.al, 2002) . Kenyir Lake recorded the lowest
pH (acidic) as equal to 5.89. Low pH can only be found in
natural water with high organic substances (Wetzel,
1983)[6].
Dissolved oxygen (DO) ranged between 61.49 and
85.3%. The concentration of DO also depends on
temperature and
atmospheric
pressure.
High
concentration of ion also caused a decrease in DO
percentage in water (Umaly and Cuvin, 1988).
Conductivity ranged between 21.30 and 78.8 S/cm. The
conductivity is related to concentrations of sulphates
and nitrate ions (Mohammad et.al, 2007). Meanwhile,
turbidity ranged from 12.58 to 35.21 NTU. Total
suspended solids (TSS) ranged between 9.8 to 28.2 mg/l.
Even though TSS is not toxic, but sedimentation is able to
create many problems once entering water bodies
(Ahmad and Ahmad, 2007).
From the results, it is shown that Kenyir Lake is less
turbid as it has low TSS compared to Tembat River and
Terengganu Mati River. This is due to construction
works that took place in the neighborhood of these
rivers. Phosphate ranged from 0.02 to 0.18 mg/l. Nitrite
ranged from 0.03 to 0.1 mg/l and nitrate ranged from
0.06 to 0.6 mg/l. Meanwhile ammonia ranged between
0.02 and 0.1 mg/l. Phytoplankton, like land plants,
require nutrients such as nitrate, phosphate, silicate, and
calcium at various levels depending on the species. Some
phytoplankton can fix nitrogen and can grow in areas
where nitrate concentrations are low. Nitrogen is
needed in protein and pigment synthesis for
phytoplankton (Prescott, 1968).
How to Cite this Article: Liana Abd Latif , Shahril Mod Husin and Ahmad Abas Kutty, "Variation of Phytoplankton at Kenyir Lake, Tembat River and2
Terengganu Mati River", Science Journal of Environmental Engineering Research, Volume 2014, Article ID sjeer-177, 4 Pages, 2014.
doi:10.7237/sjeer/177
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Table 2: Water Quality Measurements
Temperature (ºC)
pH
DO (%)
Conductivity ( S/cm)
Turbidity (NTU)
TSS (mg/l)
BOD (mg/l)
COD (mg/l)
Phosphate (mg/l)
NO2 (mg/l)
NO3 (mg/l)
NH3N (mg/l)
WQI
Class
Kenyir Lake
27.50
5.89
85.30
78.80
12.58
9.80
0.88
3.10
0.18
0.10
0.06
0.02
94
I
Tembat River
24.24
6.28
61.49
21.30
23.37
22.17
0.97
5.47
0.02
0.03
0.11
0.05
87
II
Variation of Phytoplankton
Figure 1 and Table 3 show that Kenyir Lake recorded the
highest abundance of phytoplankton. Overall 6 divisions
of phytoplankton were found at Kenyir Lake with a total
of 79 species. Chlorophyta (65.81%) was the major
division and Cosmarium cucumis was the dominant
species. Other divisons found were Pyrrophyta
(20.01%), Cyanophyta (9.41%), Chrysophyta (2.08%),
Bacillariophyta (1.91%), and Euglenophyta (0.77%).
Meanwhile only 3 divisions were found at Tembat River
with a total of 76 species. Chlorophyta and
Bacillariophyta were distributed equally (49.68%) and
Eunotia sp. was the dominant species. Another 0.64%
was represented by Cyanophyta. There were 41 species
found at Terengganu Mati River with a total of 5
divisions. Chlorophyta (58.85%) was the major division
and Tetraedron sp. was the dominant species. The rest
were represented by Bacillariophyta (31.42%),
Cyanophyta (6.64%), Chrysophyta (1.77%) and
Pyrrophyta (1.33%). Phytoplankton is easily sampled in
high quantity at the lake compared to the river. The lake
acts as a basin where phytoplankton from other
Terengganu Mati River
28.42
6.76
81.20
45.40
35.21
28.20
0.86
3.00
0.10
0.10
0.60
0.10
92
I
related rivers accumulate. Stagnant water of the lake
(lentic) caused phytoplankton to assemble within the
area compared to phytoplankton in the river (lotic) that
are easily drifted by the water current. Pigment
composition of phytoplankton depends by sunlight
quality and nutrient availability (Chapman and
Chapman, 1962).
The pigment composition differs between other
divisions making this characteristic a very important one
in classification (Bellinger, 1980). Kenyir Lake is a more
open area compared to Tembat River and Terengganu
Mati River. It is surrounded by rainforest, thus the
possibility of sunlight to penetrate the water body is
high. The availability
of sunlight
enhanced
phytoplankton growth in the lake. Phytoplankton
species like Euglena, Osillatoria, Chlamydomonas,
Scenedesmus,
Chorella
and
Stigeoclonium
are
bioindicators for water pollution (Palmer, 1959)..
Meanwhile the appearance of Euglena and Phacus is due
to high content of organic matters in the water body
(Sze, 1986 and Tang, 2001). Absence of Euglenophyta at
Tembat River and Terengganu Mati River means that
those rivers were still in good condition.
How to Cite this Article: Liana Abd Latif , Shahril Mod Husin and Ahmad Abas Kutty, "Variation of Phytoplankton at Kenyir Lake, Tembat River and3
Terengganu Mati River", Science Journal of Environmental Engineering Research, Volume 2014, Article ID sjeer-177, 4 Pages, 2014.
doi:10.7237/sjeer/177
Scie nce
Journa l
of Env i ronme n ta l Engine e ri ng Re se a rch
(ISSN :
2276 -7495)
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Fig.1. Abundance of phytoplankton at Kenyir Lake, Tembat River and Terengganu Mati River.
Table 3: Species List (A=Kenyir Lake; B=Tembat River; C=Terenggani Mati River)
Division
Species
A
B
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
C
Bacillariophyta
Achnanthes sp.1
Achnanthes sp.2
Caloneissilicula
Coscinodiscussp.1
Coscinodiscus sp.2
Coscinodiscussp.3
Coscinodiscus sp.4
Cyclotella sp.
Cymbellacistula
Cymbella sp.
Diatomaelongatum
Diatoma sp.
Eunotia sp.
Fragilariajavanica
Fragilariacrotonensis
Fragilariacapucina
Fragilaria sp.1
Fragilariasp.2
Fragilaria sp.3
Fragilariasp.4
Frustulia sp.1
Frustulia sp.2
Gyrosigma sp.
Navicularhynchocephala
Naviculasubtilissima
Naviculasp.1
Navicula sp.2
Navicula sp.3
Neidium affine
Nitzschia sp.
Pinnulariasplendida
Pinnulariatabellaria
Pinnularia sp.1
Pinnularia sp.2
Pinnulariasp.3
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
How to Cite this Article: Liana Abd Latif , Shahril Mod Husin and Ahmad Abas Kutty, "Variation of Phytoplankton at Kenyir Lake, Tembat River and4
Terengganu Mati River", Science Journal of Environmental Engineering Research, Volume 2014, Article ID sjeer-177, 4 Pages, 2014.
doi:10.7237/sjeer/177
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Chlorophyta
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Surirellacapronii
Surirellaelegans
Surirellalinearis
Surirellarobusta
Synedra ulna
Synedra sp.
Tabellaria sp.1
Tabellariasp.2
+
-
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
Arthrodesmussp.1
Arthrodesmus sp.2
Arthrodesmus sp.3
Arthrodesmus sp.4
Arthrodesmus sp.5
Arthrodesmus sp.6
Arthrodesmus sp.7
Binucleariatatrana
Chodatellalongiseta
Chodatellaquadriseta
Closteriumdianae
Clostriumloefgrenii
Closteriumkuetzingii
Closterium sp.1
Closteriumsp.2
Closterium sp.3
Closterium sp.4
Closterium sp.5
Closterium sp.6
Closterium sp.7
Cosmariumbioculatum
Cosmariumcucumis
Cosmariumportianum
Cosmariumpachydermum
Cosmarium sp.1
Cosmarium sp.2
Cosmarium sp.3
.Cosmarium sp.4
Cosmarium sp.5
Cosmarium sp.6
Cosmarium sp.7
Cosmarium sp.8
Cosmarium sp.9
Cosmarium sp.10
Cosmarium sp.11
Desmidiumcoarctatum
Desmidium sp.
Dictyosphaerium sp.
Docidium sp.
Eudorina
Gonatozygonbrebissonii
Gonatozygonkinahanii
Gonatozygonmonotaenium
Gonatozygonsp.
Hyalotheca sp.
Kirchneriellaelongata
Micrasterias sp.1
Micrasteriassp.2
Mougeotia sp.
Pleodorinacalifornica
Pleurotaenium sp.
Spirogyra sp.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
+
+
+
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+
+
+
+
+
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+
+
+
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+
+
+
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+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
How to Cite this Article: Liana Abd Latif , Shahril Mod Husin and Ahmad Abas Kutty, "Variation of Phytoplankton at Kenyir Lake, Tembat River and5
Terengganu Mati River", Science Journal of Environmental Engineering Research, Volume 2014, Article ID sjeer-177, 4 Pages, 2014.
doi:10.7237/sjeer/177
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Chrysophyta
Cyanophyta
Euglenophyta
Pyrrophyta
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Spondylosiumellipticum
Staurastrumgracile
Staurastrumhexacerum
Staurastrumleptocladum
Staurastrumratulas
Staurastrum sp.1
Staurastrum sp.2
Staurastrum sp.3
Staurastrum sp.4
Staurastrum sp.5
Staurastrum sp.6
Staurastrum sp.7
Staurastrum sp.8
Staurastrum sp.9
Staurastrum sp.10
Staurastrum sp.11
Staurastrum sp.12
Staurastrum sp.13
Staurastrumsp.14
Staurastrum sp.15
Staurastrum sp.16
Staurastrum sp.17
Tetraedron sp.1
Tetraedronsp.2
Zygnemaamericana
Zygnemachlaybeospermum
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
Centritractusbelanophorus
Centritractus sp.
Dinorbryonsociale
Synura sp.
Gleotrichiasp.1
Gleotrichia sp.2
Oscillatoriasp.
Euglena acus
Euglena sp.
Euglena oblanga
Phacuslongicauda
Phacussp.
Trachelomonasarmata
Ceratiumhirundinella
Ceratium sp.1
Ceratium sp.2
Glenodiniumpalustrum
Glenodinium sp.
Peridiniumpusillum
Peridiniumwisconsine
Peridinium sp.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
+
+
+
+
-
How to Cite this Article: Liana Abd Latif , Shahril Mod Husin and Ahmad Abas Kutty, "Variation of Phytoplankton at Kenyir Lake, Tembat River and6
Terengganu Mati River", Science Journal of Environmental Engineering Research, Volume 2014, Article ID sjeer-177, 4 Pages, 2014.
doi:10.7237/sjeer/177
Scie nce
Journa l
of Env i ronme n ta l Engine e ri ng Re se a rch
(ISSN :
2276 -7495)
P a g e |7
According to Table 4, Kenyir Lake recorded highest
phytoplankton density reaching 5144 individual/ml.
However, Tembat River is more diverse compared to
Kenyir Lake and Terengganu Mati River.
However, the diversity not only depends on the total
number of individuals found at each sampling station,
but it depends on the suitability of the species itself to
survive in certain water condition. The serious pollution
will affect the number of species and population
The species evenness and richness also was highest at
evenness (Patrick, 1948). Certain species become
Tembat River. The diversity of community depends on
dominant at a polluted area (Piirsoo, 2001). This
two factors which are the species number and the
characteristic is very important in determining the
evenness of the species itself at a certain area (Pielou,
suitability of certain phytoplankton species as a
1975).
biological indicator.
Table 4: Phytoplankton Biology Indices and Density
Diversity Index
Evenness Index
Margalef Index
No. of species
Density (ind/ml)
Kenyir Lake
3.153
0.722
10.500
79
5144.0
CONCLUSION
From the overall survey, it’s showed that phytoplankton
is much abundant and denser at lentic area as compared
to lotic area. Phytoplankton also is present in high
quantity at good water quality condition. Others factors
such as sunlight and nutrient availability also influence
the variation of phytoplankton at a different area.
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0.938
14.870
76
474.9
Terengganu Mati
3.319
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41
692.4
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How to Cite this Article: Liana Abd Latif , Shahril Mod Husin and Ahmad Abas Kutty, "Variation of Phytoplankton at Kenyir Lake, Tembat River and7
Terengganu Mati River", Science Journal of Environmental Engineering Research, Volume 2014, Article ID sjeer-177, 4 Pages, 2014.
doi:10.7237/sjeer/177